Strategic Dilemmas: Weighing Basic Strategy, Deviations, and Surrender in Blackjack

[LT Isaac]

Hey y’all! I was wondering whether basic strategy or the respective deviations are a better option than surrender.
Below are the cases I was curious about (these deviations are from BJA charts, which means they are oversimplified, partially incorrect, and involve taking risks by exchanging every bit of +EV play):
H17:

• 17: Stand/Surrender against A
• 16: Surrender/Hit/Stand[3+] against A
• 15: Hit/Surrender[-1+]/Stand[5+] against A

S17:

• 16: Hit/Surrender against A
• 15: Hit/Surrender[2+] against A

Both H17 and S17:

• 16: Hit/Surrender[4+] against 8
  
• 16: Surrender/Hit/Stand[-1-]/Stand[4+] against 9
  
• 16: Surrender/Hit/Stand[4+] against 10
  
• 15: Hit/Surrender[2+] against 9
  
• 15: Surrender/Hit/Stand[0-]/Stand[4+]

Any ideas and insights are greatly appreciated!"

[DSchles]

Not really understanding your question. You're a counter. You know strategy-departure indices. You stand or surrender when the TC is greater than or equal to your index. Period.

I don't understand the rather silly +'s and -'s after the indices. They don't belong there and have no validity whatsoever.

Finally, if you want the most complete Hi-Lo indices for every conceivable rules set and number of decks, I suggest you have a look at Dave Brolley's and my new book, The Hi-Lo Card Counting System: A Complete Guide to Index Play.

Don

[Gramazeka]

https://bjstrat.net/basicStrat.html

https://bjstrat.net/cgi-bin/cdca.cgi

[awesomeblue7]

Glad to see you called them deviations and not derivations this time in your post. What you're asking is rather confusing to me. Listed below each chart from Blackjack Apprenticeship, there is an explanation on how interpret the charts in a written verbal sentence. Have you watched the all video courses included in your membership there- or are you borrowing the charts from the other AP you met whom is a subscribed user? Have you took the time to read through the charts (including the written explanations)?

For example, it explicitly reads :
-16 stands vs. Ace at a true count of 3 and above. (Unless you can surr)."
I would surrender, hit when TC < 3, stand at 3 and above.

Now ponder with me for a second... Why wouldn't you be able to surrender? (a) The game you're playing doesn't offer this advantageous rule or (b) hand total is comprised of 3 or more cards.

What is the the definition of an EV- maximizing play? One in which the EV is the greatest. In some of these scenarios you're trying to lose the least per hand. What's the AV of a round if you surrender? .500 x your bet. If hitting or standing will yield an expected result < .500 x Bet, you would be best off surrendering.

[awesomeblue7]

Learn the appropriate indices for the game you're attacking. Make sure you highlight the differences in values so as to not confuse them between different rules, incorporate more and more indices as slowly as you can perfectly recall them. As Don stated above, if you're going to be using HiLo count system, your most comprehensive tool could very well be The Hi-Lo Card Counting System: A Complete Guide to Index Play.

[ubiquitin]

https://www.card-counting.com/cvcxonlineviewer3.htm

Doesn't answer OP's question, but I really like the visualization that these charts provide.